What I Feel
by T2 Angel
Summary: Takes place shortly after the end of Dirge of Cerberus. Vincent is trying to come to terms with his life and goes to the most unexpected person: Yuffie. One-shot.


Hiya, everybody! Well, here is something a little different from me. It is yet another one-shot but, for a change, it's not about Ash and Misty. This is one is concerning a particularly interesting couple: Vincent and Yuffie of Final Fantasy VII. This takes place not too long after Dirge of Cerberus ended. So, enjoy!

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**What I Feel…**

Yuffie Kisaragi, the self-proclaimed White Rose of Wutai, trained in an abandoned, partially demolished building that stood just outside of Edge in old Midgar, throwing her shurikens at targets posted in various places. She would constantly disappear and reappear, throwing the shurikens all the time, never missing a bull's eye. Yuffie, once she landed on the ground, stood up and looked at all the targets: flawless accuracy.

"Oh, yeah!" she exclaimed, along with tightening her fist and spinning in a circle, "I'm the best there is!"

She then threw one more shuriken at a target and hit it dead on.

"Yes!" she exclaimed.

"Not bad," a gruff voice rang out from, seemingly, nowhere.

Yuffie turned to see the crimson cloaked Vincent Valentine, standing against a door frame with his arms folded.

She jumped back and said, "Whoa! When did you get there?"

"Been here a while," Vincent said, "Didn't want to distract you. Your balance tends to get thrown off easily."

Yuffie remembered the number of times she had fallen, most of those in front of Vincent, yet she still refuted Vincent's claim, "Not a chance."

Vincent sat down on the ground and leaned against a large, fallen concrete block. Yuffie stood against the block, next to him, and quickly found herself staring at him. She had always found Vincent to be very mysterious, private, maybe even a little creepy, but still… quite intriguing, though Yuffie never used that word herself. These days, however, the creepy feeling she got from him was gone. Yuffie could not tell where, when, or why she no longer found him creepy but she just knew that she did not anymore. Still, she also knew that she was not one of his favorite people to be around, so that made her wonder why he was there.

"What are you doing out here?" Yuffie asked, "I mean, you anywhere near Edge is weird for you… and this is a long way from Lucrecia's crystal room."

"I don't go there as much anymore," Vincent said, "All of that business with Deepground… got me thinking."

Yuffie walked in front of him and bent down in front of him, "Thinking? Isn't that all you do?"

"Guess so," Vincent said.

Yuffie walked around him, concrete block to that extent, talking all the while, "Well, it must be big for you to come tell me. I know I'm not your favorite person to talk to. Of course, trying to figure out who is is an all day job."

"Doubt that anyone has that role, really," Vincent admitted.

Yuffie just sighed as she kept circling, "Mister serious. As always." She sat down next to him, leaning against the block as well, "So, whacha been thinking about?"

"My life, if I can still call it that. I've been feeling… like I don't belong anywhere anymore. I feel as though I've done all I'm supposed to do."

Yuffie was surprised to hear him talk like this.

"I think there is nothing for me to do anymore. I've reached the end of my own life… and, yet, I'm still alive."

"Then that means there is still something left for you to do."

Vincent looked up at her. "That simple?"

"Well, yeah! You wouldn't still be here if there wasn't."

Vincent looked up cracked ceiling of the building, admiring the small rays of sunshine coming through, "Wish I could believe that, Yuffie."

At this, Yuffie hit a huge level of discouragement. It was then that she realized how serious Vincent was thinking about this. It was not like his usual brooding; he was seriously wondering what his next move should be or if he even had one. She knew Vincent had tendency to think too much but this was too extreme even for him, she thought.

But, as she looked at him, she was beginning to understand where he was coming from.

She looked down at the ground and started touching with a nearby pebble with her finger.

"I… I think I understand," she said, Vincent then looking at her out of the corner of his eye, "You… think that there is nothing left for you to do because all that you had… is gone. All that you fought to protect… Lucrecia and all that kind of stuff… it's all gone. And, even though you found a little bit of peace and other things to fight for and protect… you realize that it was because everything else was already gone."

Vincent was impressed. Yuffie was absolutely right.

"But… there's still so much for you to do."

Vincent could not think of anything on his own, "Such as?"

She looked up at him. "There's helping us in case Sephiroth ever returns."

"Cloud can handle that."

"What about Shelke?"

"She can take care of herself."

"Yeah, right. She looks up to you."

"Don't know why."

"I do."

He scoffed.

"What if those Deepground guys come back?"

"They'll have to deal with you again. I'm sure you're more than enough for them."

"No way! They'd've killed me had it not been for you."

Vincent just scoffed again. "You saved me at the Shinra mansion."

"Yeah, after you did all the hard work." She then thought to herself, 'Help me out, Vinnie, I'm reaching here!'

"We need you, Vincent. You're our friend."

Vincent kept looking at the ground.

"Why do you think we were all pushing you to get a phone so much?"

"Always did wonder about that."

"So, we could keep in touch with you. Why else?"

Vincent started lightly touching another pebble.

"You're our friend, Vincent. We all care about you. If something were to happen to you, there's no telling what we'd do. Cloud would have to go back to being the most moody one of the group and we're just starting to break him out of that."

Vincent actually chuckled briefly; this, of course, Yuffie took as a personal victory.

"You laughed! I heard you laugh! I made you laugh! Yes! I got Vincent Valentine to laugh! Whoo! Victory!"

Vincent just shook his head. "Ever the cheerful person."

"Always the rain on a parade."

Vincent then fell silent for a second then said, "Sorry."

Yuffie felt bad. "Hey… I was just kidding."

"But that's just it. You're trying to cheer me up… and I can't thank you enough for that. I just wish… that it would work… that I would let it work."

Yuffie was so surprised. Vincent had never said anything like this to her before. The pure fact that he was confiding in her was definitely new territory. For both of them.

He then stood up and looked down at her, "Sorry, I bothered you, Yuffie. And thanks for trying… I'm sorry… I couldn't just let it work."

He started to walk off and Yuffie watched him for a few seconds. But those few seconds for Yuffie seemed like hours as her mind raced. Words ran by the thousands as she watched him walk. Words she had said, words she should have said… words she had wanted to say for a long time. There had been something that she had wanted to say to Vincent for a while now but she never had the courage to say it. She never felt she had the right to. She never thought the timing was right.

Never thought it was right.

Now, she figured, was as a good as a time as any and, that right and wrong really are hard to discern at this point, nor did they really matter.

Yuffie stood up, quickly, almost losing her footing. "Vincent, wait! There was one thing that I forgot to say!"

He stopped, not turning to face her.

"Maybe… you're still here… because someone needs you here… someone, in particular."

"Like who?"

'Time to go for it,' Yuffie thought.

She took a deep breath.

"I don't know… maybe someone who… doesn't really have people to put up with her like you do." She started walking toward him, "Maybe someone… who, even though she annoys you, you're always there for her… and you saved her life."

Vincent turned and looked at her.

"Maybe… you're still here… for… me…"

In a rare moment, Vincent was genuinely surprised. Even more surprising, Yuffie was causing that moment.

Yuffie walked up to him and took his hand and said, "Maybe… you're still here because I want you to still be here… I need you to still be here."

Vincent just stared at her. "Yuffie… you can't mean that… you know what I am… or rather, what's left of me… there's no needing that. There's nothing left to need… to want."

"That's not true. I know there is… I can see it. I know it because… I more than need you… more than want you… I…"

She looked away.

Vincent looked over and asked, "What is it?"

She looked back, actual tears in her eyes, "I… I love you, Vincent."

Vincent gasped. He could not believe what he just heard.

"I do, Vincent. Don't know when it happened and really I don't care, I just know it did. I know I can't compete with Lucrecia… in no way… but… I don't care… I just know that I love you… and that's how I know that you're still needed here."

Vincent was at a loss for words. For Vincent, the possibility of anyone loving him was not possible, probable, or any way, shape, or form ever going to happen again. What was even more shocking was that it was coming from Yuffie, of all people. He could not picture a more perfect antithesis to his character. But, yet and still, here she was, admitting to him that she loved him.

Yuffie just sighed, wiping her eyes, "Here I am, admitting my feelings for you and you're all quiet. I know that you're strong the silent type but can't you at least say what you're thinking? For once, tell what's going on in your head. Just… say something… will ya?"

"Yuffie… why me? Why, out of all the people, me? There are plenty of men out there who aren't… like me… that don't disappear without telling people for long periods of time, and aren't constantly alone. Plenty more who can relate to you… not push you out or keep you at a distance. Who can appreciate all you do… and not wonder if life is supposed to continue. So… why me?"

"I can't argue any of that. You're definitely moody, hard to approach, go missing a lot, and prefer to be alone. And I've met all the other types that you think would be a natural fit for me. Even dated a couple of them… but I don't care about any of them, not like I do about you. Not even close."

"But why?"

"Because…"

She paused and Vincent looked at her, wondering what her reasons were, what they could possibly be.

Suddenly, she smiled. "Because you're you."

Vincent just scoffed. "A simple answer… once again."

"Yep."

"Guess that's why I came to you. You can say the most meaningful things… in the fewest words."

Yuffie shrugged. "That's me, I guess. I don't know about that meaningful part… but, I can't be anyone but myself. 'Sides, why waste time with too many words…"

She reached up and pulled the lower half of Vincent's cloak that covered his mouth.

"I've always liked…"

She pushed herself up on her toes to get closer to his face.

"…to take action."

She then pressed her lips to Vincent's.

It was only a light kiss but Yuffie had wanted to do that for a long time. And, she thought, it was worth the wait.

She stood back level and looked him in the eyes as he looked back at her, completely stunned.

"You know? For a guy who spent a long time in a coffin, you're nowhere near as cold as I thought you'd be… or as you make yourself out to be."

"Y-Yuffie…"

"Don't care what you say, Vincent. You can say I'm crazy… or say I'm too young. You can say you hate me and never talk to me again. You can even say that you don't feel the same way… but it won't change how I feel. Not one bit."

Vincent just stared at her. He could not think of anything else to do or say.

"Yuffie…" Vincent said, "I… really don't what to say."

Yuffie shook her head, "You don't have to say anything."

"It's just that… I don't know if I feel that way… the way you feel for me. And even if I did… I can't… I can't say those words… Not yet… It's been so long that…"

"Vincent," she interrupted as he sounded on the verge on panicking, "that's fine. I wasn't expecting you to go into a melodrama of how you love me back. I just know how I feel."

"But I know that when someone says that, they want to hear it back."

"Well, yeah. I can't lie and say that I don't want you to say it back. It'd be nice to hear. But you and I are far from typical. You can't say it because of your past. I really do get it."

"But…"

"Shhh…" Yuffie said, putting a finger to his lips, "For once, you're talking too much. But, not so off base, you're thinking too much." She removes her finger, "You don't have to say anything… all this was unexpected, I get that. Like I said, it's not like I was expecting you to say it back and I'm not going to make you say it. But I'll make it easy on you. I'll give you two choices."

Vincent looked at her, quizzically.

"If you want to leave and keep trying to find the answers somewhere else, just walk away and all this can stay between us. I won't tell any of the others and I'll never talk about it again. Wutai Promise."

"What's the other option?"

Yuffie smiled again, taking that as a good sign. She took hold of the hand that had the claw guard and put it around her waist before moving her remaining hand to his cheek. "You stay right here… with me… and we can both see where this goes. That's it."

Vincent stood straight up and just stared at her, not saying anything.

…Leaving Yuffie to worry and her smile to fade away.

"Vincent?"

Vincent gave a smile. "I didn't leave, Yuffie."

Yuffie beamed from ear to ear.

She threw her arms around his neck and squeezed. In response, Vincent put his arms around her waist. Yuffie could not have been more thrilled and Vincent felt a feeling that had been still very fleeting for him: happiness.

She released him and looked into his eyes and said, "So, I guess that means we're what? Boyfriend and girlfriend? Dating? Two people who like each other? What?"

He put his right hand on Yuffie's face and leaned in… to kiss her.

As he kissed her, Yuffie was so shocked and wide eyed that this was happening that she was almost did not realize it was happening. But, soon, she accepted the pleasure of the kiss, closing her eyes and kissing him back.

After a minute, Vincent ended the kiss and just stood in front of Yuffie, keeping his hand on the side of her face and staring into her eyes. Yuffie just smiled and lifted her hand up to grab hold of his.

"You talk too much," Vincent said.

Yuffie giggled and said, "You'll have to find ways to shut me up."

Vincent just chuckled.

"Two laughs in one day… I'd call that a good sign."

"Yeah. But, now where do we go?"

Yuffie thought about it. "Hmm, we could…" She kept thinking then smiled, "Go on a date!"

Vincent rolled his eyes and said, "I'm in for a loud time, aren't I?"

"You could always leave. First option's still open."

Vincent just shook his head. "It seems that first option… isn't an option anymore."

At this, Yuffie blushed and quickly turned away.

After a few seconds of blushing, she groaned and said, "Of all the guys, you would be only one to make me somewhat girly." She turned back to him, "Rainy parade."

"Noisy ninja."

A witty comeback. A joke. From Vincent. Yuffie felt like she hit the materia lottery.

Vincent then took her by the hand and said, "Thank you, Yuffie."

Yuffie was going to make a smart remark but stopped herself from doing so and simply said, "You're welcome, Vincent."

They then both walked off together. Neither of them knew where this new relationship would take either of them, but, for both of them, that made it even better. This was all new to them both, leaving endless possibilities for the future. For Vincent, it just meant that there was a future to walk to.

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There it is! Hope you liked it! Reviews are encouraged! Thanks in advance.


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